The jewels stolen from the Louvre in Paris this weekend are value nearly €90m, the French official investigating the incident has revealed.
Eight objects had been taken within the heist on Sunday: a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from an identical set linked to Nineteenth-century French queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense; an emerald necklace and earrings from the matching set of Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte’s second spouse; a reliquary brooch; and Empress Eugénie’s diadem and her giant corsage-bow brooch, a prized Nineteenth-century imperial ensemble.
Chatting with the French broadcaster RTL, the Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed that an unnamed Louvre curator had estimated the worth of the objects to be €88m. She described the sum as “extraordinarily spectacular″, however not “parallel or corresponding to the historic injury”.
“The wrongdoers who took these gems gained’t earn €88m in the event that they [intend] to disassemble these jewels,″ Beccuau added. ″We are able to maybe hope that they’ll take into consideration this and gained’t destroy these jewels with out rhyme or motive.″
At 9.30am on 19 October, when guests had been already streaming into the Louvre’s galleries, two masked thieves used a items raise on a truck parked on the riverbank aspect of the constructing to succeed in a balcony on the primary flooring.
Utilizing two grinders, which in addition they reportedly used to threaten museum staff, the thieves reduce by means of a glazed window resulting in the Apollo Gallery of ornamental artwork, smashed two cupboards displaying Nineteenth century royal and imperial jewelry and grabbed ten objects, earlier than escaping again down the ladder and fleeing with two accomplices on TMax scooters. The theft took lower than eight minutes.
The Louvre says in an announcement: “The alarms positioned on the outside window of the Apollo Gallery and on the 2 show circumstances had been triggered. On the time of the break-in, which was significantly speedy and brutal, the 5 museum workers members current within the gallery and adjoining areas instantly intervened to implement safety protocols: contacting legislation enforcement and prioritising the safety of people.”
In Parliament yesterday (21 October), France’s tradition minister, Rachida Dati, insisted that the museum’s safety procedures had been efficient. “Have the Louvre’s safety precautions failed? No, they haven’t failed. That may be a truth. The safety measures labored,” she mentioned.
The Louvre reopened right this moment following the theft, though the Apollo gallery which housed the jewels stays closed. The museum was contacted for additional remark.
